Gong-striking apparatus



Nov. 4 1924.;-

G. L. SMJTH GONG STRIKING APIARATUS Filed Jan. e a Sheets-Sheet 1 Tag.

INVENTOR 5? I 5 W ATTORNEY Nov. 4 1924.

, G. L. SMITH GONG STRIKING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 6, 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR vi 0 BY. k

%. ATTORNEY Nov. 4 1924;

G. L. SMITH GONG STRIKING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 6, 1923 s Shets-Sheet 8 58 5 {NVENTOR 9% ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

1514.524 entree srarns rarsnr @FFHCE.

GEORGE L. SMITH, 0F FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMITH CHIMES CLOCK COMPANY, A CORPO'RATIUN OF INDIANA.

GONG-STRIKING APPARATUS.

Application filed January 6, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. SMITH, a citizen of the United States of America, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gong-Striking Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

- i This invention relates to improvements in gong striking apparatus, and the object thereof is to provide a mechanism so con structed as to effect the striking of a gong a predetermined number of times upon a .single manual operation- The invention is intended particularly for use as an adjunct to ceremonials, and the like, where a series of musical sounds constitute a significantpart. This object is accomplished by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing the general arrangement of parts, a portion being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the striking mechanism upon an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation projected from Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing therear elevation of the winding drum and other. 3 parts co-operable therewith; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the ratchet mechanism for the winding shaft.

The characters appearing in the description refer to parts shown in the drawings and designated thereon by corresponding characters.

The invention consists of a case 1, the front of which is closed by a transparency 2 which is intended to be illuminated from electric lamps 3 mounted within the case. A gong 4- is suspended in the case in posi lion to he struck by a hammer 5 that forms part of a striking mechanism 6. The shank of the hammer consists of a spring bar 7 which is rigidly secured at one end to a bracket 8. A buffer 9 is positioned in the case and contacts with the spring bar as the hammer strikes the gong, the purpose of the buffer being to prevent the hammer from rebounding against the gong.

The striking mechanism includes a train of gears 10 mounted in a frame 11, a Winding-shaft 12 and fly-shaft 13 having operative relation with the train of gears as in he u ua m o 9100 Work. On h Seriafl No. 610,985.

fly-shaft is a dog 14 and also a governor fan 15. The largest gear 16 of the train is mounted loosely on the winding-shaft and has an annular series of pins 17, also in fixed connection with the gear 16 is a cam-wheel 18 in the outer perimeter of which is a .recess19. The cam-wheel issecured to the gear by means of studs 20. Upon the winding-shaft is a fixed ratchetwheel 21,. and upon the gear 16 is a pawl 22 that engages the ratchetswheel so that when the winding-shaft is turned in one direction movement will be imparted to the gear.

A coil spring 23 secured in the frame has connection with the winding-shaft 12 by which it is. wound, and upon the winding shaft'is fixedly mounted a drum 24 having coiled thereon a pull-string 25 by which the drum is manually rotated. A stud 26 extends through the drum in a line parallel with the axis thereof with its ends projecting from the corresponding ends of the drum; A swinging stop 27is pivotally supported on the frame and has a pendent finger 28 andshoulder 29 at its lower end. Said finger rests against the projecting stud 26 so that thestop is held in its outward position while. the opposite end of the stud 26 is. engaged in the hooked lower end of a triggerBO that extends from a rockershaft 31 which is mounted in the frame. The rocker-shaft has fixed thereon a finger 32 that is positioned so as to engage the dog 14 and interrupt rotation thereof when theztrigger 30. has hooked engagement on the stud 26. The rocker-shaft 31 has also fixed thereon a drag-member 33 having a pendent end that eXtends into the recess 19 of the cam-wheel 18 so as to permit the rockershaft to turn sufficiently to move the finger 32 into engagement with said dog. A lever 34 is pivotally supported in the frame with one of its ends extending into the path of the pins 17 on the gear so that the lever is oscillated by engagement therewith. The opposite end of said lever has connection with the shank 7 of the hammer by means of a flexible cord 34 so that as the lever is actuated the hammer will accordingly be actuated and the gong sounded. A buffer 35 on the frame confines the movement of the lever within the range of the pins by which it is actuated.

It s the in en ion t he soundin at the gongand the illumination of the trans parency shall be concu1'rent,lantli1i order; to effect the illumination of the transparency during the operation of the striking mechanism, a'fiasher 36is arranged in ope erative connection with the gear l6'ot the striking mechanism and connected invcircuit with one of the electrical conductors 37, with which the variouslamps 3 'are connected and with which they are supplied with current.-.' Thefiasher=4nay be of anysui table: construction; \suoh 1 as is common in the art, which will" I have: the effect ofperiodi'cally 5 closing; the-* electrical circuit that supplies thelarnpiwith current. II'rthe presente instance the --'fiasher-I- consists wot a contactitlr-umw 88 having: a" gap 39 and mounted so was *tonbe rotated .upon a shaft 40, and ta-ipair 0t 1 brushes 1- J-that contaet witl'nthe druimeexcept 'du'r ng ;the. passage of-- the zgap;:- assthe drum is rotated; the" brushes being: connected; in! eircniti with demanded-0 3 37 inasthewisnal manner; Upon the shaft is mounted a gear fi that ine-shes' witli the -geair l6* so-*-'as-:to be rotated thereby; whichw-has the effect of aotuat'ingelthe drum accordingly.

Ini ope 'atihg the? invention; the'hpull strin'ga is manually drawn downwardly and "the. winding dnum is rthus =revolvedvunti'l the" stud 26 comes into contact with the" shoulder 29 on -'tlie' stopv: \Nhe'n the stud reaches :the s'topg Hit) also" r ais'es the itrigg'rer I 30* by 5 coming into contact-with .the lower face ofwits-hookehend. As the trigger is raised the finge'r- 32 is thereby. swting out of range of the' dog (14", and the dragz anem is withdrawn fronr the 'recess'19 inthe canr-wheelz AlSOg' the Y spring" 23' iswound upw heme the pull-strings is re leased, the shaft is 'ret-urned *tcv its *wlormei position by. the action-of the spring; causing the gear 16 and they driun 2 k "to react with it. As sa-id gear revolves; the pins 17 in successive order #trip thedever 34:: causing; the hammer tovbe 'actuated amamm m'ove T116110 ofthe dr-um fi is estoppedby engagemen-tOfFthestiid QG in "the hooked end of the trigger 30. During the revolution of the gear 16,tl1e dragvmeinber is held inan elevated position upon the perimeter of'the :an1-wl1ee1IL8," wl1ichhas' the effect of withholding; the finger 32 from interference with the dog 14 on the fly-shaft until the dr-agmieinherdropsinto the recess 19 in the cam-wheel at the completion of its revolution.

The I apparatus thus iconstructed; provides tor-the-automatic striking: of the gongsga predetermined number of'tirnes acc'orclings'eo totheqnnnberwofi pins iirthe; series of *pins set in the gear '16, and the simultaneous ilhr-r ininati-ow of the'transp whe by the simple manual .oper=a t ion of a downward pull oti the--pull-string.-

Whatl tcl'ainiis 1 Apparatus comprising;:a case; aegong; suspendedninx :thecase; a ha mmer =for rstri h ing the gong; 2LQ1I18llztI1lSIn ion. actuating the hammer; aspringiihaving jaotuatingiil'e lation witl1; saidmechanism 9 and a wvind ing drum havi-ngea 'pulhstrin around there fi on and"havi11g;ilin1iteclaotuati'ngzrelation with said spring and controlling- 5relatiorv with said mechanism:

2. In COHIblnHtlOIlFWWl'tlI' gongirand a hammer for strikingklite me'chanism inclu ding: ani o scillati'ngyilever actu atecl ther'e by; a flexible connection bet-ween the saidlever and the hammer; a spring lha-ving 0 actuating relation with: said mechanism; and a manually operated windingi means having actuating relation with the spring'z-w and "controllingrrelation with said mecha- IllSHII 55 In testimony whereof-"I a afiix uny signature in presence of two witnesses.

0. W. SLIFER. 

